Coronavirus cases identified on multiple international flights landing in Vancouver
A handful of international flights landing at the YVR Vancouver International Airport have been identified as having potential exposure to COVID-19, marking over a dozen infected flights this month.
Four international flights have been discovered by health officials. The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has added a flight from Incheon, South Korea to Vancouver. The identified flight is Korean Air 071 and it took place on July 5. The BCCDC did not identify where exactly the infected passengers sat.
- See also:
Three flights have also been identified by both the BCCDC and the Government of Canada.
Two infected flights arrived in Vancouver on July 8. One flight was Aeromexico 696 which arrived from Mexico City, during which the infected persons sat between rows 16 and 22; the second flight was Air Canada 0064 from Seoul, where the infected persons sat between rows 26 and 32.
Coronavirus cases were also identified on Aero Mexico AM696, which arrived in Vancouver from Mexico City on July 17. It’s unclear where the infected passengers sat during this flight.
Any passengers who flew on these flights are asked to self-isolate and monitor for symptoms for 14 days following the flight. There are now a total of 14 international and domestic flights that have arrived in Vancouver and been identified with cases of coronavirus.
International flights
| Airline | Flight Number | Date | Origin | Destination | Affected Seats |
| Korean Air | 071 | July 5 | Incheon | Vancouver | Unknown |
| American Airlines | 1270 | July 6 | Dallas | Vancouver | Unknown |
| United Airlines | 375 | July 7 | San Fransisco | Vancouver | 19 to 25 |
| Aeromexico | 696 | July 8 | Mexico City | Vancouver | 16 to 22 |
| Air Canada | 0064 | July 8 | Seoul | Vancouver | 26 to 32 |
| Air Canada | 651 | July 14 | San Francisco | Vancouver | Unknown |
| Aeromexico | 696 | July 17 | Mexico City | Vancouver | Unknown |
Domestic flights
| Airline | Flight Number | Date | Origin | Destination | Affected Seats |
| WestJet | 460 | July 2 | Kelowna | Calgary | n/a |
| WestJet | 348 | July 5 | Kelowna | Edmonton | n/a |
| WestJet | 186 | July 5 | Vancouver | Edmonton | n/a |
| Air Canada | 8421 | July 6 | Kelowna | Vancouver | n/a |
| Air Canada | 311 | July 8 | Monreal | Vancouver | n/a |
| Air Canada | 111 | July 13 | Toronto | Vancouver | n/a |
| Air Canada | 8073 | July 13 | Vancouver | Victoria | n/a |
| Air Canada | 112 | July 13 | Vancouver | Toronto | 27 to 33 |
As per the federal government, if you think you might have coronavirus, use the self-assessment tool to find out what to do. And always follow the recommendations of your local public health authority.
“We recommend that flight passengers self-isolate and monitor for symptoms for 14 days following the flight,” the BC CDC said previously.
Earlier this week, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry warned that British Columbia could be in for explosive growth in new coronavirus cases if residents aren’t careful.
“We do have a possibility of having explosive growth in our outbreak here in BC if we are not careful in how we progress over the summer,” she said. “We’re now on an edge that might go up but is in our hands to control.”
With files from Megan Devlin…